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My lord, we are innocent.
This piece of shit.
Liu Dezhao seems to be determined
to torture these people till they confess to forged charges.
Master, I can't take stand it anymore.
I have to stop them.
I'm now
the Commissioner to investigate the Shu Jian case.
I don't have jurisdiction over Shanxi's local affairs
but Liu Dezhao can't hurt me.
Now, you go beat the drum outside the court to lodge a complaint.
Yes sir.
We are innocent.
My lord,
We are innocent.
My lord, we are innocent.
My lord.
What are you doing?
What do you want?
Junior Long
your Kongfu has improved.
Of course
I had to learn something
following the brother.
What are you doing?
What's your business?
We were ordered to investigate cases here in Shanxi
Go get your governor
to come to greet us.
Are you really the Commissioner?
Here is the imperial edict. Believe us now?
How powerful is the imperial edict?
Brother
this represents the supreme authority of the emperor.
Official Long
I sincerely welcome you, the Commissioner.
I heard that long time ago that
Official Long is here at official Shu's Mansion.
I should've go visit you
But I'm too busy
to find the chance to do so.
I heard that you are busy with
disaster relief works for Shanxi's drought
and dealing with the robbery case.
Busy indeed.
You are here to investigate
the assassination of official Shu
any progress?
Are you coming here
to ask for my assistance?
Your help
is definitely needed.
I'll see what I can do.
But
Official Long, as you can see
I'm working on
a robbery case.
How about
you go rest
at the back
And after I finished with this
we talk about
Commander Shu's assassination case.
Official Liu
it only took you three days
to capture the robbers.
I really admire
your efficiency.
Official Liu
Can I stay here
and watch you judging the case?
Official Long
you are here
for the assassination case
with no business
in this case
so it might not be appropriate
for you to be here.
I'm just an observer
with no right to intervene.
Also, when I go back to the capital
and the emperor asks about my experience in Shanxi
I can tell him about how you
handled cases so efficiently.
If you insist
then this way please.
After you.
Official Liu
are they the robbers?
Yes.
Now we have all the witnesses and evidences.
But they just won't confess.
My lord
my lord.
I'm really innocent.
Official Liu
can I see the
witnesses and the evidences?
Official Long
you're here
for another case.
This one
is none of your business
so just sit there and watch quietly.
I can't tell you
about the details.
Wang Shisan, Xie Daniu, Hu Ergo
are you willing to confess now?
We are innocent
my lord.
We are innocent.
I'm innocent.
You people are so stubborn.
No torture, no confession.
Ok
torture it is.
My lord, spare my life.
We are innocent, my lord.
I'm innocent.
We are innocent, my lord.
Spare my life!
Now
we have all the witnesses and evidence.
You can't get away with is.
Just confess your crimes
so that you won't have to go through the torture.
My lord
my lord
I
know when I was taken here
that I won't walk out alive.
I can't stand the torture
so I'm willing to confess.
Hu Ergo, Xie Daniu
what about you two?
We are innocent, my lord.
Wang Shisan
you confess first.
My lord, I'll confess.
I...
My lord
but I don't know
what to confess.
Ok
you three
can't do things like this alone, going over walls
and robing the government.
You must have accomplices
not ordinary people
but
Ming Empire remnants
gathered in Ox horn Village
who are so desperate.
Am I right?
My lord
my lord
it is what you say it is.
You tell me
the truth about how you
planned the attack together.
Hmm
My lord
I'm
too old
to remember
the process.
You can base it
on your investigations.
Ok
then think about
how did you communicate with Hu Ergo and Xie Daniu
to coordinate with mobs from Ox horn Village?
I...
I don't know
Old man
we don't know each other.
And it's your confession
so please don't involve us without prove.
Few days ago my wife had a miscarriage
and she is waiting for me to take care of her.
Old man
I got a blind mother
to take care of.
This crime
is punished by death.
My lord
I'm alone and poor
so death doesn't scare me.
But
I don't know them.
You...
You want me to make baseless accusations.
But I don't want to involve these two strangers.
You still don't get it.
Come on.
Yes sir.
Clear his mind a bit.
My lord
I will confess.
You know more
about the process then I do.
So you write the confession for me
and I'll sign it.
Now you're talking.
Come!
Yes sir.
Take him away.
Yes sir.
My lord.
Move.
Your misgovernment makes the people rebel.
Hu Ergo and Xie Daniu.
Wang Shisan has confessed.
Are you going to resist?
Ok.
Poor people like me can't fight the government.
Better dead than being tortured alive.
I'll be dead no matter what.
I will confess.
Please tell my wife
that I can't spend the rest of my life with her
that she can find another guy.
Ok.
Come.
Yes sir.
Take Hu Ergo away.
Yes sir.
Move.
Xie Daniu,
only you left.
What then?
You corrupted officials
you have no conscience at all.
Even if you can cheat the royal court
and the emperor
you can't cheat the gods.
Stop!
Come!
Yes sir.
Stuff his mouth.
Yes sir.
Hold it.
Don't do it.
He likes cursing
let him curse.
Let me tell you, Xie Daniu.
The emperor is far away in the Forbidden City.
He can't hear you
even if you shout through the roof.
I'll give you another chance.
You can either sign the confession now
or
after all kinds
of torture.
You piece of shit!
Your death is imminent!
Start the torture.
Hold it
you can't torture him.
Official Liu
I can't believe you are dealing with
such an important case like this.
It's an eye-opener.
Official Long
you don't understand that
people here are
stubborn and shrewd.
They are acting like victims
to win your sympathy.
This Xie Daniu is special.
His father was one of the
Ming remnants in the Ox horn Village
who was cut in half a few years ago.
In that case
his mother informed us against his father.
But I didn't realize that
as he grows up
Xie Daniu has been secretly colluding with those rebels.
Back then
I thought that
my mother did the right thing
selling out my father and getting him killed
that my father was a fool and a villain
deserved to die.
Now I realized that
my mother was wrong.
She was wrong.
The Qing Empire
is the most corrupted.
People
should revolt against it.
Shut up!
Official Long, you heard it
and saw it.
This man really is a remnant of the Ming Empire
who colluded with the rebels and robbed the government's money.
Even if he didn't confess to the crime
his words just now
deserve an immediate execution
an immediate execution.
Official Liu.
If you haven't been throwing carrots and stick, inducing or forcing his confessions
Xie Daniu would not have cursed the royal court like this.
Official Long
These two people
she is your maid
and he is your bodyguard.
They are your servants after all.
But today
they dared be rude
to me at the court.
Official Long
aren't you being
too lenient to them?
Official Liu
there are superiors and inferiors
at the court
but there is the law also.
I can't say that
I agree with your judging style.
Official Long
if I may
you are a class-five
Commissioner
while I'm a class-two senior official.
You're a junior official.
And it's clearly stated in the imperial edict that
you're here to
investigate Commander Shu's murder.
My lord
Your interference of our local criminal cases
might be against regulations.
Official Liu
I'm junior than you.
But aren't you afraid that when I go back to the capital
I impeach you when meeting the emperor?
Official Long
the emperor is young
but intelligent.
I don't think he will believe your one-sided story.
Official Long,
you must be tired after the trip.
Please rest in the backyard
and we can chat
about our friendship
after I finish trying this case.
Official Long
please follow me
to rest at the back yard.
Wait
do you know who I am?
Official Long, what's that?
Master
why don't you show Official Liu
the secret imperial edict?
Secret edict?
Yes.
Didn't the emperor give you a secret edict
telling you to investigate Commander Shu's murder
but also supervise the disaster-relief efforts in Shanxi
and local officials' governing styles?
Official Long
I didn't expect
you to carry a secret imperial edict.
Where is it?
Can you show me?
It...
It is...
I hide it
in the suitcase.
Master
why don't you go back with me to bring it here?
Ok
please wait
for me to bring it here.
Official Long
do you need my soldiers to escort you?
Not necessary.
Guard Li, you stay here instead of me
and remind Official Liu
not to overuse torture.
Roger.
Brother
What the plan now?
If we can't show him the secret edict
Liu Dezhao will accuse us of fabrication
and turn against us.
Those scapegoats will be dead for sure
especially that Xie Daniu
who would be crippled if not killed.
Now what we can only
fabricate a secret imperial edict.
Pardon me?
Liu Dezhao is Shanxi's governor
and assistant minister of war
second-class senior official.
Even though he never met you
He recognizes your handwriting.
Are you out of your mind?
I don't have much experience on my first trip
so I didn't take the imperial seal
nor
the paper for the edict.
We need to be flexible on this, Junior Long.
We can't write it on
the edict paper formally.
We have the fancy stationery
plus your handwriting
and the seal impression to show him.
He will fall for that I'm sure.
But the problem is we have no seal.
I can help you with it
by copying one from stamp
on the imperial edict.
Can you do that?
Of course.
I'm skillful in many things
like medicine, poisoning
traps, tricks
and seal carving.
Piece of cake for me.
Shell we?
Junior Long, take a look, is this ok?
Brother
your seal carving skills
is as bad as
your Kongfu.
If Liu Dezhao checks it closely
he will find the flaws.
He won't
because he already
checked your real edict
so he won't suspect this one.
Then we must try our luck.
Once Liu finds that
the edict
all targets him
he will be nervous
and ignore the seal.
Guard Li
when will your master and your sister
return?
My master has to
clean up and get changed
so please
wait a little longer.
Why not take him away
and bring him back when my master comes.
Come.
Yes sir.
Take him away.
Yes sir.
Guard Li
when did your master
take the national examination
and who was his instructor?
His background is too important
for you to know.
Ok
fine.
It's done.
How will you reward me for it?
Reward?
Forging official seals is punishable by death
not to say the imperial seal.
Junior Long, what do you mean?
Are you burning bridges?
You ordered me to do it.
I'm kidding.
I've committed
more crimes than you did that deserved death.
But, brother
I'm really carious about
where you come from
and how you acquired these skills.
I...
I'm just a drifter
roaming around in the society
so I have to learn more
to survive. Understand?
Compared with Liu Dezhao,
you are more of an eye-opener.
Luckily, your lack of skills
made the seal
impression not
as authentic
or
it will bring chaos in the country.
Junior Long,
did I do something forbidden?
Are you going to push me for it?
It's ok
if others
did this
I would not
spare him for any reason.
But with you
I know that
although naughty
you won't do anything
unforgivable.
You're saying this,
But I know
you have been keeping an eye on me.
I should have suggested
other plans to save those people.
I've decided to
keep you by my side forever
when we return to the palace.
so that
you won't commit felonies
that even I could not bail you out.
I don't want to be
trapped in that golden-cage-like Forbidden City.
I'm serious about this. Mark my words.
But you are not the emperor any more
you are my Junior Long.
Guard Li
later when your master returns
please say something
nice about me to him.
OK.
Thank you.
Here comes the Commissioner
with the imperial edict.
Liu Dezhao and other officials
get ready to receive the secret imperial edict.
We are ready.
The emperor's edict
has asked Long San as the Commissioner
to investigate Commander Shu's murder
while supervising the disaster relief progress in Shanxi
and local officials' performance.
Then report everything back to the emperor honestly, with no delay.
Long live our emperor.
You...
Official Liu
you heard it.
Before this trip
the emperor repeated his request for me
to thoroughly investigate the disaster relief works in Shanxi
and
local officials' performance.
So please support my works here.
Don't worry
we will do our best to support your work.
Your must be tired from the trip
living in such a remote
and shabby place like Commander Shu's house.
Sorry for your suffering.
Official Long,
if you don't mind
I have a place
with better environment
and convenient location.
You can
stay there if you like.
Thanks for your hospitality.
But
based on the emperor's orders
for me to inspect local officials' performance
you and I can't be too close,
in case some one talks about it behind our backs
which is bad for both of us.
Official Long
you
came all the way from the capital
climbed over mountains
which is so tiresome.
You're here withus.
So you must
allow us hosts to show our hospitality
and treat you with something nice.
Master, recently we've been
very frugal at Commander Shu's place
eating very simple meals.
Why not accept Official Liu's invitation
and see what he can get us?
Right...
Ok, thank you for that.
After you, Official Long.
Please.
Official Long,
we are so honored
to have you
here with us.
Official Long,
Shell we begin?
These are some of the
everyday home cooking by our chief.
I don't know whether you would like it or not.
Have a try. Official Long. Try some.
Please.
Official Liu.
Your daily meals are
have no ordinary cuisines
but all delicacies and exotic foods.
Official Liu.
Your daily meals are
even more lavish then the emperor's meals.
You're kidding.
You're just flattering me.
It's not a proper meal without wine.
Here
try this.
This is...
Have some...
imported wine.
It takes better chilled.
Have a try.
You two enjoy yourselves.
It's scorching out there.
I didn't expect to see
chilled wine here at your place.
As you can see
my obesity makes me afraid of hotness.
So
I dig some ice cellars
to store ice
in winter
to be used in summer.
Official Liu
you do now how to enjoy life.
The drought in Shanxi
has been bothering the emperor.
The emperor
who can't eat
and sleep well.
He has been living frugally for a month
and even used his blood to transcript the Buddha texts.
Only then did he successfully beg for a rain.
Looks like
the emperor
is not enjoying live as freely his subordinates do.
Your remarks are too serious and heavy.
Here, have some.
Taste this.
Please.
Official Liu
don't bother.
From my perspective
your lavish meals
are people's flesh
and wines
people's blood.
Forgive me
for not enjoying them.
You do care about the people and the country.
We're embarrassed.
Say what you want to say.
We're all ears.
Official Liu.
Let's cut to the chase.
We both understand what's critical here.
There are three things I want you to implement.
Which three?
First
release Wang Shisan and the other two scapegoats
and those refugees
caught that day
outside Qiu Gui's place.
Set all of them free
and compensate them for their losses.
Ok
I will do it right away.
Second
distribute all your stored grains to the refugees.
Bring those profiteers
who hyped up prices
during the drought to justice.
Ok
consider it done.
Third
bring me the account of the disaster-relief fund
and bring me to the treasury
for a thorough audit.
If there are shortages
you find ways to solve the problem.
Then, you and I
can distribute these money to the refugees.
Don't you two
feel
hot in here?
Right,
really hot.
Ok,
I'll order my subordinates
to deal with it.
Official Liu
please don't play with me on this.
You know that
these three tasks
determine the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees
and
your local officials' future.
I...
understand.
Ok,
I'll see you later.
Let us walk you out.
Not necessary.
You guys
stay here
to finish this excellent meal
and don't waste it.
Yihuan.
You were so reckless and bold.
Forging imperial seal
you know
is a taboo from the emperor's perspective.
He praised you.
But do you know his real thoughts on this?
I know.
I regretted it after I said it.
He must be pissed off.
But it was too late.
Uncle, Yihuan was busy saving the people.
She is quite simple
unaware of the complicated thinking of the emperor.
It's no use blaming her now.
The thing is
I thought I was helping him
besides, he asked for it.
So who could've known.
Bro. Zhu, did I do something wrong again?
Yes, a little bit.
But I don't blame you.
Kangxi is our enemy
so we will turn hostile with each other sooner of later.
But right now
we are on the same boat,
so despite keeping an eye on us
he has to
maintain the status quo.
So don't blame yourself too much.
You are always so forgiving.
You...
Sooner or later I'll die at you two's hands.
at your hands.
You...
I hurt you too badly that night.
Should I use my inter power to help you recover?
Thank you, but I'm ok.
Liu Dezhao suspects that there is a spy beside him.
But I'm not on his list yet.
So I can't stay for too long.
What's new with Liu Dezhao?
The Commissioner came today
and showed them a secret edict
which scared the shit out of Liu Dezhao and others.
After the envoy left
Liu summoned
his confidants and several businessmen
and discussed countermeasures.
Qiu Gui
haven't you guys washed off
those words on your faces?
Don't mention it.
We don't know what
was in the ink.
It just won't come off.
Same here.
After I
capture that asshole
I'll peel his skin off.
Just chill.
My subordinates are so incompetent
Until now
they haven't found any trace of that Mr. Ai.
It' s my fault.
It's ok.
Forget about Mr. Ai.
Our priority right now
is to spare no efforts to
deal with this Commissioner, Long San.
Brother-in-law, are you really going to follow his orders
and arrest us all?
If arresting us
is merely a show, then it's ok.
But if he
really wants to punish us as a warning to others
and determines to finish what he started, then we're screwed.
Right.
And about the disaster-relief money
most of which
we spent already
What...
what should we do about it now?
We have to return the money
as much as possible.
We can chip in together.
And
this Official Long
who is really stubborn
seems to mean business this time.
What's his deal anyway?
My informant at the capital
hasn't responded yet.
I don't believe that
he
has such a clean slate.
No matter what
we have to prepare something real nice
to find out his bottom line.
Right.
It's possible that he is pretending to be clean
but craves for more.
Also
I can see that Official Long
is young and in the green
and can't resist young girls.
Which one of you
got beautiful virgins
don't hide them anymore.
Give them to Long San.
Once he becomes one of us
then our problems are solved.
Got any virgin girls?
No
Anyone?
No
Got one?
No
I do.
I got
this beautiful girl
who is also really gentle.
She plays Pipa really well.
Brother-in-law
originally I planed to present her to you.
Really!
No matter how beautiful she is
I don't care anymore.
Ok,
let the girl seduce Long San.
Qiu Gui
remember to
check the girl's background.
Don't make me any more trouble.
Don't worry
she was along
and was almost starved to death when I found her
took her in
and fed her well.
Since she appreciates my help
is it too much to ask her
to be with the Commissioner?
No, it's ok.
Right.
Now
you must have guessed
who this beauty is.
Sis. Wanxin?
Correct.
Wanxin knows that Qiu Gui
will send her to Liu Dezhao
and thought that she will see me there
and ran away with me.
So
she has been quiet at Qiu's place
and pretended to flatter him.
I thought I could save her when I recovered.
But I never expect that
those monsters
would send her to seduce the Commissioner.
Qiu Gui is such a moster.
Some day I'll slaughter that asshole myself.
If Liu Dezhao and others
presented Shu Eanxin
to the Commissioner
then they would know about her escape
and that someone took her place in the palace.
So I wanted to be here to tell you that,
and to find a solution.
I sneaked out
as soon as I got the chance.
Bro. Meng, you're late.
Just now
Liu Dezhao's man brought the Commissioner away.
Looks like they were implementing their plan.
What?
So...
If the Commissioner knows about Sis Wan's real identity,
and that you went in as her
then you two are both in trouble.
Now
I have to go to Liu Dezhao's place immediately
and take Shu Wanxin
before she was delivered to the Commissioner.
Ok
then I'll go back now
to assist you in the dark.
Hope it's not too late.
Ok.
Excuse me.
Commissioner
my master has something important to discuss with you.
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